The Agent/BDM Relationship

If you are new to the travel industry, you might not even know what “BDM” stands for. A BDM is a Business Development Manager. Suppliers employ BDMs to help agents grow their business with the supplier.

Often BDMs are the individuals who will attend seminars, host webinars, and reach out to an agency to help find ways to grow business. Some BDMs are focused on agents growing their sales with just their company, while others try to help them grow your business across the board.

An agent’s relationship with a BDM is extremely important. The BDM’s support, or lack thereof, could make a real difference in what agents focus their entire business on.

My first real experience with a BDM was my Carnival Cruise Line rep back in the early 2000’s. She recognized that my business had potential and worked hard at teaching me all that I could about Carnival Cruises. From her mentorship, I learned how to sell cruises with all cruise lines, not just Carnival. She helped me create the very first Dugan’s University, which has continued now for 14 years.

That BDM encouraged me to get all my agents together in Long Beach, CA to tour a ship. She then helped me plan our first cruise event at sea. Her actions and support forever changed the agency. She became someone I could turn to for business advice as well as support.

Shortly thereafter, I had a BDM at Walt Disney Travel who helped our agency advance to a whole new level. She did not just care about what we did with Disney but also what we did as an agency for all our clients. Her advice changed the way I looked at so many areas of the business. Her guidance and willingness to share business secrets will always be greatly appreciated.

On the flip side, we have also worked with BDMs who did not understood the true purpose of their jobs. Most of them did not last long in their positions because it takes a special kind of person to be a successful BDM.

The job of a BDM entails more than just calling in and checking on an agency every quarter. It takes more effort than just dropping off brochures or showing up to an event. A good BDM needs to care more about the agency they are supporting than their product.

It’s important for a BDM to manage agents’ stress levels. They must deal with all types of personalities, including agents that can be high maintenance.  It requires diligence in staying in contact with the agents, answering their emails and calls, and sometimes just being a good listener even if something is completely out of their hands. It is about being there when the agents need them, however draining it may be when they are supporting so many.

BDMs have been stretched thin for a while, even before COVID struck. Now, so many have lost their jobs and unfortunately, some are still looking for a place to call home. When they begin working with a new supplier, they must become experts in a short amount of time. Often, even the best BDMs get bounced around from supplier to supplier.

In my opinion, BDMs are the most important face of a supplier. Good ones are harder and harder to find because it does take a special kind of person to be successful in that position. They need to be resilient in dealing with negative behavior from agents who contact them when emotions are running high. Moreover, although BDMs are the key representatives of the company, they have little impact on the company’s operations. It’s a tough position; one that many individuals are not cut out for. The good ones are priceless.

I recommend to anyone lucky enough to have a good BDM show their appreciation to that BDM. I guarantee that gratitude will be greatly valued because the BDM likely encountered other disgruntled agents that day with more negative attitudes and complaints. Those complaints could be due to weather delays, flight cancellations, a mistake a rookie made on a reservation, or just an agent’s unrealistic expectations. Regardless, they make for a very bad day for a BDM.

Good BDMs usually do everything in their power to assist agents. They work long hours and are constantly on the road. They love what they do and enjoy helping people. Unfortunately, the good BDMs must often try to compensate for the poor ones. We have had some good BDMs move from our territory and they still get calls from former agents because their current BDM is not being helpful enough. We hate when we lose our good BDMs because we know that their replacements may prove to be inferior.  

I believe BDMs are the most important representative for a travel company. A good BDM will make agents feel more comfortable selling travel reservations, knowing the BDM has their back. A bad one could cause an agent to take their business elsewhere. No one wants to support a business that makes him or her feel unwanted or unsupported.